CHapters 1-3 in one COMPLETELY EDITED VERSION OF ISABELLE'S STORY, Diary of a Psychopath

Here it is, the latest and so far greatest, I will add on to this pefected version as I perfect the next chapters. I don't know if it's easier for people to read in installments or one long read, so I offer BOTH!!

Chapter 1-

 06/24/2008

So I’ve been having the dream again. The dream I always have, where I’m a kid, and I just have been given a kitten for my birthday. In the dream, I’m playing with the kitten when it suddenly sinks its nails into me, and I throw it across the room. I still to this day remember that sound, the sound of its head hitting the wall. The dull thudding sound it made, and then its eyes glaze over, and blood pours out its nose, not a gush like you would see with a human getting hit, just a small little trickle of blood. After that, I continued to play with the dead kitten for over an hour. I liked it better that way; it let me pet it, try cuddling, brushing it, almost anything you could want but better.
Ever since that day, I’ve been fascinated with death. Fascinated with a need to see those few seconds of the in between when crossed over from life to death. To see what they saw when they crossed over, and every time I kill one, sometimes I think, you know, I am just a little bit closer to seeing it, seeing through their eyes what comes next. I began to kill more animals to see what they saw as they crossed over, being a licensed and well respected veterinarian in your field has that perk, and when an animal comes along that just might not make it, you get a that perk. Their eyes would have a dawning peace come over them then just cut out to blank after that. I’ve never told anyone about my fascination with death. Ever since my first kitten, and of course…her, I’ve always wanted to see what they saw as they crossed over; you know make sure there WAS something waiting for them on the other side. Sometimes I just wanted to see their reaction to what came next to see what they saw.  But, there is no thrill with animals, on peace and sweet release.

Last night I took it one step further.

 Luke and I had our usual date night in, where I agreed to cook and we would just spend the night in. I was reaching my three month limit him. That’s usually when I let them go, because they start to get so close, to the truth about me. I can’t let that happen. So, Luke was sitting on the couch while I was making dinner and was talking about his parents. "You’ll really like them," He said, "They’re really laid back and love animals, so you’ll get along really well."
‘Yuck,’ I thought to myself as I contemplated meeting his parents. ‘Guess I’ve reached the fight or flight moment.’ I had finished with making the salad and started to reheat the soup I had made earlier. ‘I just wish there was an easier way to do this.’
I thought with distance as I stirred the soup. ‘I can’t meet his parents; parents have built in radar to detect things in people. If I try to use my mask on them, I’ll just end up being called a faker by them. I thought while furrowing my brow in thought. Jason was still on the couch just yammering away. Really he had become a nuisance, and meeting his parents were just like the straw that broke the camel’s back. ‘Decision made’ I thought as I nodded my head quickly and walked over to the pantry for my spice to add. I opened the pantry in my small little kitchen and reached down to the bottom shelf, way in the back, for my special spice. It was in an un-marked, brown clay jug and was sealed with a cork lid. I brought it over to the pot of soup and pulled out some of the stalks and flowers that were in the jug. I know there was a time I would need these, and the rainy day had come. Grabbing up my large chopping knife I give them a run through and carefully wash the milky white substance that came out of the stalks, off my hands and the knife. ‘Really one must be careful!’ I smiled to myself, he would never know what was coming and I would get to see a unique sight for the first time in my life.

I placed the bowls onto the table and told Luke that dinner was ready, in a voice that I could muster as calmly as possible. We sat in relative silence as he began to eat the soup. He didn’t even notice I was just sitting there watching him eat, not touching mine at all.
He ate the whole soup, without complaint; in fact he actually made sounds that meant he liked it!

"What are these, he asked holding up the secret ingredient. I smiled back at him and said with a laugh, "I thought you would recognize leeks by now honey." He scrunched up his face for second longer looking at them then shrugged and ate them quickly. Soon his bowl was empty.

"That was delicious Isabelle! What was that, a veggie recipe you got off the food network?"

He said looking down the table at my bowl. "Actually it’s an old family recipe," I started and met his eyes as he gave me a questioning look, "And I didn’t eat because I’ve had terrible heartburn all day, I thought it would’ve dispersed by now but it’s not let up even a little bit." I grimaced and held my chest as I said this and he smiled and just said, "Well then, do you mind if I have yours?" I couldn’t believe my ears, HE WANTED MORE!?!?!?! I tried to keep my smile innocent but it came out devious I know.

"Sure Hun, but do you think you’re really hungry enough to be able to eat both?" I asked innocent as a lamb. He was eyeing my soup and licking his lips, "Yeah I can give it some room in my stomach." I just laughed and walked the soup over to him and set it down. As I carried the other bowl away I could hear Luke say, "Boy it’s getting hot in here isn’t it? Don’t you think we should open a window or something?" I just kept smiling because I knew the drug I used was working. I walked back in from the kitchen to see Luke just sitting there, trembling. He looked scared. "What is it Luke?"I said slowly and with a smile.

"I-I don’t know, I’m sweating, and trembling, and…AND I CAN’T MOVE MY BODY!!" He said in a loud panicked voice. That’s when I knew my time to unmask had come. I started to giggle and walk slowly over to him. "Gee Luke; I’m sorry you’re feeling that way… I hope it wasn’t something you ATE!!" And I gave him a wicked little smile. He just continued to look scared and this is when I realized he couldn’t even talk. So I reached his side and pushed him out of the chair, and he landed- on his side, I rolled him over, just so I could stare into those pretty baby blues. They were just wide as saucers and the pupils were actually huge! I mean like he was on acid, huge! You’d think they’d be pinpoints because of the fear. And then I thought about it. Ahh yes, the "herb"

I sat down on Lukes lap and smiled down at him while he just stared up at me his eyes huge with fear. "You know those Leeks that you were so happy to munch on Luke? Well they weren’t Leeks. In fact, you’re really not supposed to eat them at all. It’s an herb called Hemlock, see. And I ordered it awhile ago. Thinking it would come to this in our relationship. Now you started out sweating, then came the trembling, and of course the muscle movements restricted. But you don’t know what the final result is." I paused in my narration to smile down at him. He tried to open and close his mouth, like he wanted to say something but couldn’t. So I give him my sweet smile and pinch his cheeks, "Oh its okay Luke, you don’t need to say anything. I understand it all. And soon so will you because the last symptom is the freezing up of the lungs. You won’t be able to breathe. So of course, in a matter of mere minutes, you’ll choke to death, suffocation, man that’s got to be a horrible way to go." I said all this with a pathetic attempt of pretending to be sorry for him. But I was having too much fun and my face reflected my glee. Suddenly I could hear faint half gasps coming from his mouth, short and tiny like he was quietly trying to gasp for air. I wasn’t making it any easier as I was sitting on his chest, but it was fun to of course be a weight that helped to strengthen the hemlock’s power. So I sat there and keenly watched his eyes, his mouth bobbed open and shut for quite a few minutes reminding me of a fish that I had caught once when I was about 14, it just opened and closed its mouth several times, then stopped as it could no longer breath above water. Luke’s eyes were absolutely bulging now, like he could pop a vein at any minute and his hands began to faintly slap against the floor, looking for anything to help…but of course, there was nothing. I sat back and clapped, laughing with glee, this had felt better than any Christmas I could remember. Finally his mouth was opening and closing much slower. And his gasps were like tiny hiccups. He jerked, once, twice, and then was still. I stared into his eyes for a few seconds while checking his pulse on the side of his neck

No pulse, and there seemed to be no change in his eyesight. ‘Damn! How did I miss it?’ I thought in bitter disappointment. I slapped his face and pushed against his chest to stand up. I could feel the scowl formed on my face. I would definitely have to think more on the next one. Since I did this one, I knew I was going to be another. Who is the question, and When. Suddenly I hear a voice, a little girl’s voice, "Promise me! Promise you’ll make them pay!" Not wanting to deal with that voice right at the time. I decided to get it together for the task I pulled on Luke’s arms and dragged him towards the bathroom, based on his size I knew it was shear adrenaline that was working with me at the moment. I then took off his shirt pants and underwear, not forgetting his socks and shoes. Thank God for me he wasn’t wearing any jewelry or a sports watch or anything. Getting rid of those things would’ve been hard and had a chance of always ending up leading back to me. I laid him in the bathtub and had done up the whole room in plastic with silver duct tape. It was a trick I borrowed from someone else but it was a good one. I had as tools a power chainsaw and my trusty electric carving knife. Both of which I somehow received as presents and never have used them. I started the bathwater to run and added a half cup of bleach. I knew that it wouldn’t stop the police from discovering blood in my apartment but it would at least distort it from being recognized as to whose it was. I pulled out my carving knife, thanking Aunt Ruth for giving me what could potentially be my favorite new toy.

I picked up Luke’s arm and cut straight down into his flesh, a squirt of blood came popping out but not as much as you see on the movies. Moving the knife at an angle and down I began to form the first slice of what would become animal food for the wolves and bores that hunt in the desert for food at night. It went pretty quickly and cleanly, actually. Pretty soon I had about three garbage bags full of meat, organs, and bone. I took my presents out to Jason’s car. I drove about an hour and a half out of the city on the way towards Primm. I then, got busy on burying the bones of my now ex-boyfriend. I smashed his skull into fragments and buried all the pieces four feet deep and 16 feet away from each other. Keeping the fingers and burying them a mile away. I was making sure that no one would be able to identify him and trace it back to me. Then as dawn broke, I was finally done, and I drove Luke’s car to an empty apartment parking lot. I picked this lot because it and the one next one, doesn’t have camera. I felt secured in the fact that I had disposed of him properly.
I also, scoured my apartment with a bleach cleanup, just to make sure no DNA or blood existed to link me to his disappearance. I would have to call it in the next day that he was missing. I sat on my couch and feeling proud of myself, immediately fell asleep and slept all night, for the first time since I was a child.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

06/25/2008

6:57a.m.

Charlie Davidson was sitting at her desk poring over her case files; sure she'd find something that a thousand other eyes had just seemed to miss. She knew better, smarter, had something that they...well just didn't have. But this was why she always worked alone. Of course all her partners ended up not being able to work with her, but mostly they just couldn't keep up. They couldn't see the picture that she could. Charlie sat back and pinched the bridge of her nose together. She sighed and quickly lopped her head from one side to the other and the sound of bones popping echoed through the empty squad room. She looked around her in the semi-darkened area and again sighed, she knew it was late and her shift was over for a long time. She stood up and stuffed some files into her duffel bag and started the long stretch of hallway down towards the stairs and out. Maybe if she got some sleep, her fresh mind would catch something her tired mind wouldn't. There was one squad room left with lights on, weird. She paused just at the edge of their entrance to listen in on the conversation. She knew it was the day shift because night was all condensed and downstairs. She had to lean in closer and strain her ears to pick up even a whisper of their conversation, that's how quiet they were being, but she could hear them. "Well all I'm saying is a car turns up, in a side of town that he doesn't go to, with no cameras looking, the car is devoid of any trace...EVEN HIS, and no one can find him...you gotta think it's a pro job." That was voice one. Voice two starts in with, "Pro? PRO???? NO WAY!! A PRO job would have the guy sitting IN the front seat with his brains sprayed on the windshield AND no trace!! No this is someone who knows Crime Scenes enough clean up but left something on or in the body to where they had to get rid of it." Voice one, "Well if we know it's not just a missing person then why we holding on it, we should just walk it up to the know-it-all she's still up there ya know. I can't stand her but the b***h has got a nose and can sniff out the body AND the perp. in real quick time:" Voice two, "HER!?!? NO WAY!! I'd rather give it to Simmons than to that c**t, she's so frigid and uppity. She acts like she's got the s**t wrapped up when she gets it. Damn I can't STAND her!" Voice one, "What happened, she turn you down for a date? Hahaha, even the ugly and lonely meter maids won't date you pencil dick! I'm telling you take it to Davidson in the morning, if you know what's good!" Davidson was good and ready to walk in and just snatch it from them, and shove s**t in their nose, but really she expected crap like this from the men of the squad. She usually was right, and being hot, smart, and unwilling to date anyone she worked with made her very unlikable at the station. Without pausing to see if they noticed, she walked by the doorway to missing person's squad room and continued to walk down the stairs and then out and on towards home.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

.

Chapter 2-

06/25/2008

            The sun intruded through my blinds, and glared into my eyes brutally. I peeked one of my eyes open and chanced a glance at my alarm clock 5:53 a.m. I still have time before I have to be in the clinic. Then the memory of last night came flooding in. Flashes of Luke's eyes and the spurting of blood as I sawed through his skin and muscle, and the smell of burnt bone, reminding you of when you go to the dentist and have a toot drilled, all came back at once. 'Holy S**t!' Adrenaline surged through my body as I realized what I did. I felt alive, wired, excited, like it was a dream, and hadn't really happened. Again I thought of his eyes, they weren't peaceful as animals were, his were questioning like, why did this happen to me. I now knew I would never again be satisfied with the deaths of animals. I had upgraded. Yet still I wasn't satisfied, his eyes had not shown me the answer, those last few seconds, didn't give me insight as to what it was that was waiting on the other side. I shook myself from those philosophic thoughts and did a mental checklist to make sure I had thought of everything. I did not want to get caught like others. Cops said killers always wanted to get caught and that's why they left things behind. They did it either consciously or subconsciously. Well even though there had been no blood in the house I had scrubbed the pathway I used with bleach, just to make sure. I had washed the entire bathroom with bleach. Which any CSI watcher knew it diluted the blood sample and made it impossible to tell the DNA or blood type, they could tell if blood was present, but any lame a*s story could cover that.

I even cleaned the drain. I tossed the hemlock in my favorite keepsake brown jar into garbage dumpster...five miles away.

I drove his car to another city and left it in a parking lot with no cameras.

And, wiped the car clean of all fingerprints and used a unique and powerful lint cleaner to pull all hairs and fibers from the car then followed it up with a dual wind tunnel hand vac that promises if you have very sensitive allergies that NOTHING will be left behind. I didn't have that problem but somehow I knew when I bought it back three months ago I would be using it for a special reason. Wow, no wonder I slept so well. I was exhausted from all the work.

I thought about what I would do next, who would I kill next? Should I kill guys? I thought about trying to seduce girls but I got slightly sick to my stomach. Okay so I would stick to guys, and maybe to be safe I should stick to strangers, yeah the more you don't know about them the more random it would be and the less likely for me to be caught, My mind was drawn in a daze to his eyes, and I remembered how glazed over they got after he finally passed. His eyes became dilated and were big as saucers, the only time his blue eyes were completely black. Then like a scream I saw her eyes. It was the cold blast of reality that I needed to get my butt moving again. 'Damn,' I thought, 'All these years, and I had almost forgotten her....almost.' But I hadn't, not really.  I could never forget that day, and my promise to her. I snapped my head up from drying my hair, the promise!!! I HAD forgotten. But now I remembered and now knew exactly the type of guy I would be going after and why. The look in their eyes will be an after effect, pleasure after the work. I WILL DO WHAT I SAID I WOULD DO!!

And then it was like I was back there again, and I could hear her, 'you promise me, promise me.'

"I promise! I pinky swear promise I'll get every SINGLE last one of them!!" I said it out loud as if she could hear me, well maybe she could. And with that I made my decision. All day I tried to get my puppy love feeling back, the excitement that tingled my hairs, but the thought of her just turned and soured my stomach. I felt itchy and hot, like I was too full of energy and needed to release this pent up anger. I realized that I would have to strike again, and soon. This feeling, knawing at my stomach would not be abated until I had satiated it.

            At the clinic, I worked in silence as I was checking a beagle for worms. He whined as I stuck my finger up his rectum to get a sample. My mouth curled up on one side and I dug in a little deeper. The pup whined a little more, and that brought a brief smile to my face.

"Dr. Burns?" said Lahna, my dumpy assistant. She was 5'4" about 180lbs. I'd say and had dirty blonde hair with brown eyes. BORING! She would stand by me wringing her hands, ALWAYS wringing her hands, and open and close her mouth like...like a fish! I knew she wanted to say something most of the time but was too nervous. I know I could turn to her and say 'Yes Lahna?' But that would be inviting a conversation, and implying that I cared which I DON'T! And besides she sweated, ALL THE TIME, and she- well she just bothered me. I hired her because she was smart, didn't talk back, was eager and a hard worker, and not once had asked for a day off or a raise.

"Yes?" I said again, as pleasant as possible .Really, I couldn't stand any of the girls I worked with, but then again I was a great actress and couldn't stand anyone.

"Are you...okay? I mean, you usually don't talk about your private life or even talk unless to give orders...and that's fine, but you seem...distressed." She paused and then pursed her lips as if she was practicing to be a therapist "Did you break up with your boyfriend?"

"Why no Lahna, but I did have trouble sleeping last night, maybe that's it."

And left it at that. It was really none of her business and I let her know that by turning my back on her. It angered me that she would dare to ask a personal question and angered me even more that my mask slipped, and with that I gave an extra little dig into the beagle which in response he whined a little more. Damn people!

            After dealing with all my appointments and walk-ins for the afternoon I went into my office and closed the door. I was still feeling distressed from that morning’s revelation and already I wanted that thrill back, to feel that warmth in my body again. To look into another person's face and see what their last look would be.

I decided I would keep my promise and keep to men, a******s to be exact; I would look for them in bars. Men, well a******s especially are...dumber, and more trusting at least when it came to women. I laughed derisively at this and turned to catch myself in the mirror. My even white teeth gleamed perfectly against my evenly tanned skin. Should be evenly tanned, I paid a fortune for this tan. Went in once a week for two hours, twenty for the tan, hour for the pedicure and manicure, also get my roots touched up, well I'm a natural blonde but it is a nasty dark ash blonde, I get my eyebrows, and OTHER places waxed, all so I can look good enough to turn down 90% of men!

I stopped and turned to face myself squarely in the face and to observe myself.

I have mid-elbow length honey blonde hair, blue eyes with yellow streaks, eyes that mother later swore were witch eyes, with this thought I widened my eyes a little and laughed some more, then kept up the scrutiny.

I had teeth that my dentist said I could be a model with, lips that any guy would want to kiss.

Not to mention legs that go on for days, and breasts that would make a pinup jealous. An a*s any dancer would kill for and a stomach that I work on three times a week for twenty minutes in the morning.

Hmmph! Basically I'm perfect. Just had to make sure, because I have to be able to seduce any dope into taking me home with them. Even better I have to make them totally unaware of what I was eventually going to do to them.

I stood up from behind my cherry oak desk that was in front of a double bay window, to the right was a single frosted glass window that let out onto a flat cement terrace where I had a wrought iron chair and a hidden pack of cigarettes and coffee can, a sordid secret I didn't want anyone to know about, to the left in the corner opposite of my patio, I had a small 1.5 bathroom that had a toilet that I could take comfort in knowing that only I use it, a pedestal sink with a gold handle fixture, a cherry wooden framed mirror, and powder blue towels that hung on the right wall. On the wall following the bathroom were ceiling to floor cherry wood (are you detecting a theme here?) bookcases that followed to the edge of the wall where there was an indentation and a sort of alcove in the wall just behind the dark wood door. The bookcases were of course filled with books on animal anatomy and surgery and sicknesses, as well as prescriptions and suggested amounts. I walked right by these bookcases through the expanse of my office to the little alcove to the calendar that was almost hidden behind the door. With the marker that hung there I wrote down three days from that day 'T.S.K.' and stood back with a smile. On Wednesday I would go hunting for "The Second Kill".

 

06/25/2009

10:54p.m.

 

Detective Charlie Davidson, walked into the patrol station with the thoughts of that conversation and the peculiar missing person's case on her mind. Would she have to hunt those two down and ask for the case? Or would they find her and give it to her? She was so deep in thought that she almost didn't hear her boss calling her. "Davidson! Get your head out of your a*s!! I need to see you"

She snapped her head up and was blushing by the comment he'd said. He must've called her name several times to have been that sarcastic. Usually he's very amicable. So she tossed down her duffel bag and chanced a glance around, but everybody was busy with talking, working or on the phone. So with a sigh and feeling very much like getting sent to the principal's office she walked up to the lieutenant's office. She quietly stepped in and said, "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Detective, it seems you have fans...oh shut the door please" She turned to close the door and Lieutenant Franze waved her into a chair facing his desk. Charlie settled in and with a questioning look she parroted, "I have fans?"   Lt.Franze replied, "Yes fans, a peculiar missing case has come in and the cops who got the call think you're the one who will best solve it"

At this Charlie had to keep from smiling, it seemed the two cops had decided to bring her the case anyways. Maybe they HAD seen her and that's why Lt. Franze was assigning it to her now. So to test the waters...Charlie said, "Which cops were those, Lt.?"  He replied, "I don't really know, they're Sergeant brought it to me and said they thought it required an analytical mind and requested you specifically. So you up for it?" He gave her, his one eyebrow raised and his lips pursed as if to say, you don't really have a choice here, so you better say yes.

Charlie responded with, "Lt. I'd be honored."

She quickly grabbed the file and started to read it. It was just as she overheard it. Car was left in a parking lot with no cameras; it was devoid of any trace, even of his own. Car had been identified by his family....her eyes skimmed down and then caught on a name...ALEX SILVERHAWK!?!?!

HIs brother??? Oh crap. That meant it was a family member of a cop!

Charlie was stunned and now knew why those two guys wanted the best on it. Boy in blue deserves to know what happened to his family.

"Hey...Davidson. Can't you read that at your desk? Better yet, why don't you go down and check out the crime scene. They held it for you." Lt. Franze said with a dismissing annoyance.

Blushing again for being caught as the 'tard, Charlie stood up quickly muttered something that she didn't even know what is was and was out and into her car within minutes.

When she reached the scene, the car was there just like the Lt. said but CSU was not. So she called them down. And started to her usual checkpoints. She noted that the parking lot she was in indeed did not have cameras and neither did the one next to it...BUT!!! AHA!! She thought to herself. Looking across the street she noticed the parking lots there HAD cameras! And there was a bus stop within the view of one of the cameras, Of course all this took about an hour for her to figure out but as soon as she did, she called and got a report of when the buses came through that stop, and a copy of that camera that was in viewing of the stop. It was a stop motion camera, so she just had to hope it caught a view. For now she stuck up s**t creek because none of the other cameras showed when the car was parked. No one knew how long it had been there or who had parked it. So she made pictures of all the people that got on that bus from the night before until when it was discovered. That was when she made a call to her brother in blue, Alex Silverhawk.

She felt a little choked doing this, knowing it might be hard for him to have to do this, but he'd also want to know where and what had happened to his brother. Alex picked up after one ring, "Hello?"

 

 

 

 

Chapter 3-

06/26/2008

            I was enjoying a quiet night at home, something I had forgotten how much I loved while Luke was around. I was cuddled up on a huge red velvet couch watching Nova on PBS and eating a huge salad with Salmon bites, (I'm a vegetarian, and I do eat fish and chicken once in awhile but no sashimi. Sushi is NOT for me) when the doorbell rang. 'S**t! Who could that be at this hour'

I never felt ill at ease answering my door, like fearing it was a rapist or a burglar. I was a black belt in several forms of power martial arts, and lived in a nice neighborhood. Just the same I always played it safe. "Who is it?" I called out through the door while I peeked through the peephole. I saw a tall man with curly black hair, olive tan skin and dark brown eyes; he sort of looked like a younger Benjamin Bratt.

"Umm, Sorry to bother you like this Ms. Burns. You don't know me but I am a friend of Lukes."

He said haltingly. "Yes?" I said still not wanting to open the door. Damn! I knew Luke had friends but I didn't know he'd opened his damn mouth about where I lived!

"Well...uhh, you were the one to report him missing. So I thought I'd come by and see if there was anything you remembered or knew that could help me in my personal search."

He paused, sighed and ran his hand through his mess of curls. "Look I know it's late, I'm sorry, it's just he was my best friend since grade school. I don't know if I trust the police to do the best of jobs in this case." I sighed in turn and realized this was going to be tricky. If I turned him away it would look like I didn't care and then they might become suspicious of me. So I put on my best exhausted and caring face and answered the door.

"Hi" I said with a sad note in my voice, not looking at him but at the floor.

"I just can't believe he disappeared in my neighborhood of all places. It's usually so safe here; sorry I gave you the runaround. I just was spooked." I blurted out like I was a nervous and frightened woman who suddenly saw the city closing in on her.

I glanced up to see if he bought my routine.

He gave a grievous look for even knocking on my door at such an hour, and he also looked shocked, either he didn't know I looked this or he recognized me but was trying to hide it.

I continued to look down as I swung my door open wider and invited him in to my penthouse apartment.

My apartment was the envy of everyone in the building. Dark wood floors covered in oriental rugs

My red velvet couch with oversized cushions that sunk in comfortably when you sat on them. I had a modest TV. since I was not yet ready for a hi-def whatchamacallit. I had three walls covered from ceiling to floor books in side by side dark cherry wood bookcases (yes again with the dark cherry okay so it was my favorite). I had wooden floors in a rustic bamboo, not only because it was durable but it was green and I was an eco-friendly person, mostly so I could shove it down other peoples' throats about how they should be. The den had the couch that faced the TV. wall with a shelf on either side, painted a dark stain, and on opposite sides of the couch were small table stands in dark stain each with a white porcelain based lamps, the shades were covered in a myriad of oranges and reds, causing a fire-like look to the lamp. The room recessed even further back, to where there was supposed to be an eat-in or breakfast nook, but here I just had bookshelves, in...You guessed it! Dark cherry wood. Filled once from floor to ceiling in chilling mysteries, crime novels, true serial killers life stories, and books by cops about the ones they'd arrested who'd almost gotten away with it. Not to mention the criminology and Crime Scene technology books I'd consumed like a pig all those months ago. Keeping up to date, yes not consciously knowing what was to come, but all those books were gone, and replaced, quickly I might add, with all my old college books of necropsy books, English, Shakespeare(pervert, trust me on this one), mathematics, philosophy, physics, and psychology, hmmm I always considered that a "soft science" really. I mean after fifty years of invasive testing, shock therapy, and even questioning under duress, they still know nothing concrete. Its funny when I was eight, my mother really started to worry about me and had an IQ test, a psychology test, and psychiatry test done on me. She never told me the results, but she did wring her hands a lot more. She would look at me with this almost, frantic expression. It would make me smile, I used to fantasize about hiding behind the couch or the hallway and jumping out and scaring her, just so I could see her worry more. Anyways, my apartment is antique but has traces of modern and I can tell as- He, walks in he is purveying this front living area with interest, looking at the ceiling, the floor, over at my small and modest kitchen, and...Then to my couch, where I offer him a seat. I turned the TV. off so I could focus on him straight off and as I looked forward I could see from the corner of my eyes that he was looking at me, studying me. I would say that I could already tell he wanted me, as if I could see that like any other guy in his situation he was looking for consolation and to feel good again. I looked at him directly, but he didn't look away. Again I got the sense he was a Benjamin Bratt Look-a-like. And with that a thought started to tug at my mind, like my subconscious was trying desperately to tell me or warn me of something, but I was too focused on Him to listen. His face softened a little and he looked, wistful, almost longing, I felt hooked on his gaze and had to tear myself from his hypnosis to even get out a sentence-

"So what is your name? And what are you hoping for me to tell you?" I asked directly and I knew a little too harshly, I was supposed to be playing the bereaved with him and so I dropped my eyelids and turned the corners of my mouth downwards to ease the harshness of what I had just said.

"My name is Alex, Alex SilverHawk and I just wanted to know if he was acting unusual when he left or if you actually saw him leave that night. Or if you saw his car still here in the morning or if you remember anything unusual?”

"Well, Alex, I'm Isabelle. Umm to be perfectly honest the night ended like any other. I mean I walked him to the door, we said good night. And I really didn't think to look out the window to see if he got to his car alright. I mean I thought this was a good neighborhood." Again I looked him directly in the eyes, but I lowered my lashes and chewed on this inside corner of my mouth, trying to look thought provoking. "How did you first discover he was missing?" he asked, and this time he gave me a piercing look, much like the one I had given him moments before. It was unsettling. 'Uh-Oh’, I thought quickly, 'How did I notice he was missing....' But my subconscious, genius that it was supplied the answer smoothly from my brain down to my mouth, before I even had to think on it. "Well his work called me saying they couldn't reach him on his home phone, business cell, or personal. So I tried calling them and it went straight to voicemail. At first the cops tried to give me the runaround that I had to wait 24 hours, but I pushed and finally got them to say they would at least check into it for me." He sat back and thought on that for a minute, chewing on the inside of his lip as his mind processed this new bit of info. I couldn't help but stare at his mouth while he chewed, and his eyes darted to mine, catching me in the act, I looked up startled. And that's when I saw it, saw him, HIS EYES. I knew then I wanted to see his eyes when they crossed over. But put that from my mind to talk.

“Now I have a question for you. Did anyone not like him? Have a grudge? Anything like that?"

I asked softly as if to say it nicely but still like I was probing him as much as he was me.

 He sat back on the couch for a moment and thought.

His eyes looked off somewhere in the distance, again, that I couldn't see and again I imagined what his eyes would look like when he took his final breath. This time it was so strong it caught my breath in my chest.

"You know," He started, "There was this one girl. She was what I called the 'Trifecta of Scary'

She stalked him for about six months afterwards. Hacked into his email accounts. Called him day and night. Peeped into his bedroom. And followed him home from work."

"Wow." I said genuinely amazed. To think a girl that desperate for such a despicable gender. Mind bending. Really.

I shook off the thought and got back to what Alex said..."He finally got a Temporary Restraining Order against her and managed to keep her away. That was a year ago.

"Well, did you tell the cops about her?"

"Of Course."

"What did they say?"

"Just...We'll look into that."

I made my face into a mask of crestfallen. "Oh"

"Yeah doesn't sound very promising"

"Well I am sure cops don't want to give false hope"

I looked at the clock. 3:30 a.m. flashed on the DVD player.

Crap.

"Umm I hate to break up our sleuthing team thing...but I have to be at work in five hours and really need sleep. I have a minor surgery to perform tomorrow."

"Wow. You're a doctor?"

I made a small modest smile. Damn right Mother F****r.

"Well just a veterinarian"

"Oh that's so great, you love animals because so do I!”

"Well,” He said, as he stood, "I'll let you get your Z's"

“Call me at the office tomorrow, “I said with a grin.

"Maybe we can have lunch and do the whole Scooby Doo thing again" 'And maybe I can get just close enough to see what you're eyes will look like as you take your last breath. The thought was dizzying. I felt a like a hunter purveying the land, picking out her prey. I felt....powerful.

Alex smiled back, "You got it." And he headed for the door. Oh, I will have fun watching his eyes snuff out. I lay against the closed front door just letting my mind imagine what that heavenly creature would look like as he winked out of existence. I pictured his eyes, looking at me with fear and understanding, like he realized it was me that bested him. But then her eyes pierced the reverie and the moment was ruined. I felt ill to my stomach again. And reality came crashing in as I realized if both of them went missing both so quickly and also both last in the company of me, I'd be picked up so quick it'd make my head spin. 'For now it seems Alex, you will have to be a fantasy,' I sighed with that sullen thought and just stalked off to my bedroom passing straight out on bed without changing.

 

06/26/2008

3:47a.m.

 

Charlie anxiously sat beside her desk, waiting for an update. She had sat at the desk practically all night last night only going to the lights out room for a nap because she was dead tired. She couldn't believe she had allowed Silverhawk to do this risky undercover operation by himself. But it had seemed she'd been bamboozled from the beginning. Yesterday she'd called Narcotics Detective Second Grade, Alex Silverhawk, first to tell him she was on his brother's case, and second that she might have a lead. She told him to come over and look at some photographs. He said that he'd not yet met his brother's (adopted brother) girlfriend but she was the person he was last with before he'd disappeared and she'd called it in herself. He knew what her basic looks were and described them to Charlie. Lo and behold about 1:20a.m. A woman fitting her description is seen crossing over to the bus stop and getting on eight minutes later. They wanted to keep the element of surprise for as long as possible on and to keep her from suspecting that they knew it was her. Alex surmised the easiest way to guile her, would be to pose as a grieving friend and act like he was just there to reach out to anyone else who was sad to lose Luke as well. "If she is just as manipulative as I think she will be, she'll try to act and play this out as best as possible. I'll lay on the guilt and keep it on thick and she'll break. Trust me; I eat girls like her for breakfast." Alex said with a cold look in his eyes. Charlie had seen that look plenty of times, since she's the one to either clear a cops name or to hunt down a killer of a cop's loved one. But to Charlie, Alex looked like a softie, like he'll get eaten alive. 'If that girl is even half what I think she is, and I think she's a sociopath...just starting out. He'll be dead if he tangles with her too much' Charlie thought with a piercing look at Alex.

"Well, just be careful, one night Silverhawk. You hear me? You're only going to identify her, because that's all we need." Charlie said sounding like mother but her warning fell on death ears as Alex walked out the door. And now Charlie was basically tearing her hair out as she waited for that call.

She was just about to get another cup of coffee when- RING RING!!! 'OH THANK GOD!!!

She rushes to pick the phone up and almost drops it in her fervor, but finally she grasps it correctly and says, "Davidson here"

"Charlie? It's Alex....It's her! Isabelle is the one in the photo! I am not just giving up though. I think I can study her and get a working profile of her criminal behavior. Actually figure out her method of madness to a precise enough point as to when she'll next strike, what sets her off, and how she might attack next. I can get her, I know I can, just give me time! I saw her mask today all perfect in place, but I also saw it slip...she doesn't even suspect me. I'll nail her three sheets to the wind before she'll smell me coming!" He said this so vehemently. Charlie could tell he sounded different, weird...almost. You would think he was on drugs but You'd know better, 'No' thought Charlie, 'He's out for vengeance and thinks that he has an in, thinks he can take this monster down by himself and that's worse!' but before she could say anything, the line was dead and she sat back and stared at the phone in disbelief. Silverhawk was doing this totally off the clock and Davidson and Silverhawk made a deal that if he was let in on the case, no mention of him or his help would go in the jacket. Now Charlie wasn't so sure her deal was such a great idea. But she knew if the tables were turned...she'd want in on it. 'Damn' She thought running her hair though the long tangled waves of mess that was her hair, 'I wanted so badly to connect to another cop even in a different precinct I was willing to throw out the one rule when helping a brother in blue. Never, EVER let them get involved in a case that involves someone they're close to. It always ends badly.' Charlie sat back and stared hard at nothing, hoping, daring against her instincts that what she'd initially done was wrong.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note

I have edited this one for spelling, typos, and grammar errors, so critique away if you find any, some I left in because they were language decisions. But it is a clean and perfected copy. I am now asking you to focus on the writing, give it your best shot, what you liked...didn't...I added more to Isabelle in order to appease those who didn't like the lack of description of her insanity. But NO there is NOT more of a description of Luke...He is just a random FIRST VICTIM, his Roundabout story gets told as the book progresses BUT HE IS NOT THE FOCUS IN THIS BOOK...NO ONE SHOULD CARE ABOUT LUKE...just who cares about him...

Reviews

[mirui]

This is good and scary at the same time. Good job.